The 6th Plague

by Darren Hale

  ‘There may be a few drops in the bottom of the pot – but it’s cold.’

  ‘Fine – I’ll take it…’

  Juliet waved her arms up and down in an exaggerated attempt to discourage the plumes of smoke from settling over her end of the table. ‘Angus – you are a filthy beast,’ she said admonishingly.

  ‘Ain’t that the truth,’ he replied with a dirty grin. In deference to her protest, he pushed his chair another couple of feet away from the table. ‘So why all the long faces?’

  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

  ‘It would appear that our friend, the police chief, has been stirring up some trouble with the authorities in Lima.’ Simon unfolded a paper from his pocket and slid it across the table towards him. ‘This is a copy of an email from one of Carmen’s colleagues at the University of Lima. Nothing official… Just a courtesy heads-up. Apparently, the Peruvian immigration service has been making enquiries at the behest of that bastard to determine whether or not we should be allowed to continue our work here.’

  ‘So, what are we going to do about it?’ Angus asked.

  Simon sighed. The matter had already been debated at some length, and no solutions found. ‘There’s not very much we can do... But, for the time being, these are just rumours. We’ve not received anything through official channels.’

  ‘So, that’s it! We just keep our fingers crossed and hope that the embassy can straighten this out for us?’

  ‘Not entirely…’ Simon replied, recognising Angus’s unusually waspish comments as symptoms of his hangover, rather than a reaction to the news itself. ‘The professor has already emailed the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia in Lima, informing them of the valuable discoveries we’ve been making. Hell, he’s even been in touch with Cenes Pharmaceuticals.’

  ‘Cenes Pharmaceuticals…’ Angus took another long puff on his cigarette. ‘Isn’t that the company that creep Martin works for?’

  ‘Yes... They are, apparently, big business in South America, and carry a lot of clout when it comes to dealing with the Peruvian authorities. With luck, they’ll be able to use their influence to keep us here.’

  ‘Nice to know the guy is good for something...’

  Arno returned with a plastic cup of lukewarm coffee and handed it to Angus.

  ‘Except that our problems don’t end there,’ Simon admitted.

  ‘They don’t?’ Angus swallowed the coffee, then returned the cigarette to his mouth in what had appeared to be one single movement, eager to appease his body’s twin desires of caffeine and nicotine as swiftly as possible.

  ‘We received word from the Amazon Queen yesterday. She isn’t going to be dropping off any more supplies to us for a while,’ Simon explained.

  ‘Don’t tell me… That bastard had the ship impounded for smuggling, or some such bullshit.’

  ‘Fortunately, nothing of the kind…’ Simon assured him. ‘It would appear that the water levels in the Tamboryacu have fallen so far, it’s no longer navigable, and we’re going to have to wait for the rains to pick up again before she has any chance of making it back to us.’

  ‘You are joking, aren’t you – what with all that rain we’ve had recently?’ Juliet protested.

  ‘I’m afraid the rains are only just beginning. It’s going to be some time before they have any effect on the river levels.’

  ‘How long exactly?’

  ‘Captain Medeiros reckons maybe anything up to a month...’

  ‘How long!’ Angus exclaimed. ‘And what are we supposed to live on until then? Roast capybara and cold cuts of curassow? Not to mention the fact that we’re now completely out of beer!’

  Juliet sighed. ‘Good for you Angus, always thinking with your stomach.’

  ‘Well, I think it’s important that someone keeps an eye on the little details – don’t you?’

  ‘And what’s Marina supposed to eat – boiled roots and sautéed palm hearts?’ Juliet asked.

  ‘And here’s me thinking that’s what being a hippie vegan was all about? I would say she’s better equipped to a life here in the jungle than any of us, isn’t she?’ said Angus without remorse.

  Juliet scowled at him.

  Angus ignored her. ‘And why isn’t the professor here to give us the good news in person?’ he asked, noting the one obvious exception to their little group.

  Rufus looked at his watch. ‘Well, quite apart from the lateness of the hour, and the fact that the professor, unlike others, was not recovering from a hangover this morning, he thought he’d return to the burial chamber, along with Oki and Marina, and see if he could get as much documented as possible – just in case...’

  ‘And what about you all? What have you been doing? I can’t imagine the professor let you off for good behaviour?’ said Angus testily.

  ‘Rufus was updating us with the progress he’s been making on the stela,’ Juliet explained.

  ‘And…’ said Angus. ‘Don’t keep us in suspense.’ Having drained every breath possible from his cigarette, he threw the stub to the ground and stamped it out with his foot.

  Juliet glared at its twisted corpse lying next to his chair. ‘Angus! It’s bad enough having you smoke in here – but…’

  Angus shrugged.

  ‘It’s Rufus opinion that the room you discovered is not in fact the tomb,’ she continued, clearly riled by his nonchalance, and looking to apply a pinprick to his ego. In the past weeks, she and Angus had developed something of a love hate relationship, yo-yoing between infatuation and obstinate intolerance.

  ‘Except that it is…’ replied Angus pointedly, his ego intact.

  ‘Rufus…’ said Juliet, dragging him back into the conversation, though he did not look appreciative of the fact.

  ‘I’m sorry to say that the evidence is pointing towards the ruler having been a queen,’ Rufus explained. ‘…And that she died at an early age. The body in the tomb was male – and of rather more advanced years.’

  ‘I’m telling you that’s the place,’ said Angus, self-assuredly.

  ‘I’m sorry Angus, but you’re just going to have to admit that you were wrong this time!’ Juliet retorted.

  Angus was unperturbed. ‘Rufus – do you still have my survey data on that laptop?’ he asked.

  Rufus shrugged. ‘No reason why not…’

  ‘Good – pass it here, will you?’

  The dining tent was a preferred working place for anyone with a laptop, being as close as was possible to plentiful supplies of tea, coffee, and other soft beverages, as well as fruit in abundance, and Rufus had come quite prepared to enjoy its comforts. He slid the computer towards Angus. ‘What are you looking for?’

  ‘Good question…’ Angus stabbed at the keys, summoning his survey maps to the screen. ‘Can anyone remember how big the burial chamber was?’

  ‘Fifty foot by sixty foot,’ said Juliet confidently. She noted the surprise written across the faces of everyone at the table. ‘So – I have a good memory for numbers...’

  Angus nodded. ‘Okay, fifty foot by sixty foot it is.’

  The chamber appeared as a hazy purple oblong on his screen. He took the cursor and drew a box around it. ‘And there’s the answer,’ he said, triumphantly turning the laptop towards them. ‘We’re missing half a room. According to the survey, the void beneath the temple measures at least one hundred and fifty foot long.’

  Simon leaned forward for a closer look. ‘My God Angus, it would appear the professor is mistaken, and you are not completely useless after all…’

  21

  Saturday 14th October:

  Catherine had been relaxing in the embrace of a worn deck chair, the once gaudy, striped, green and orange material of which, had faded, so as to have become almost tasteful, though it had acquired more than a few holes in the process.

  She opened her diary and perused some of the more recent passages before taking pen to paper once more.

  Outside the tent, the temperature was beginning to drop, chilled by
the premonition of rain.

  And then the first drops started to fall, spattering angrily against the canvas, as lightning chased drumbeats of thunder from the sky, before becoming a deluge that set the trees ashiver.

  A figure sprinted towards the tent; her head bowed against the torrent.

  It was Juliet.

  ‘Catherine – there you are! What are you up to?’ she asked as she darted inside.

  ‘Just trying to keep my diary up to date.’

  Juliet shook the rain from her hair. ‘Angus has a theory… He thinks there’s another chamber hidden beneath the temple, and he and Simon have gone to inform the professor. They think there might be a false wall at the back of the tomb, and if he’s right, this could be the discovery of the century. So, I wondered if you wanted to come with me, and watch?’

  Catherine arched an eyebrow. ‘In this rain?’

  ‘I’ve got a brolly in here somewhere…’ Juliet promised ‘And besides, we’ll be inside most of the time.’ She started routing around amongst the belongings next to her hammock. ‘Ahh – there it is…’ she said, producing a plain green umbrella and brandishing it triumphantly. ‘Shall we…’

  ******

  Catherine and Juliet raced towards the tomb, their feet skidding on grass made treacherous by the sudden downpour, while all around them, the air resonated with the sound of thunder.

  ‘And they reckon we’re not getting enough rain! At this rate the Tamboryacu should be overflowing in no time…’ said Juliet sourly.

  The tomb lay about fifteen minutes from the tent.

  They covered the distance in ten…

  Then, having taken sanctuary beneath the tarpaulins covering the entrance, Juliet shook the water from her umbrella, before leading the way down into the shadows, like a student late for her lecture.

  Simon and Angus were already there, watching as the professor walked the length of the far wall, periodically rapping his knuckles against the soot-stained plaster while listening to the tuneless thud it gave in reply.

  ‘That was it… Stop there!’ Simon instructed.

  The professor stopped and tested his knuckles against the wall once more. ‘I don’t hear anything.’

  ‘Not there… Go back a couple of steps.’

  The professor backed up and tried again. The change in tone was subtle, having been muted almost beyond recognition by the thick layer of plaster. ‘You know… I think you might be right…’ He turned to face Angus. ‘Well my dear boy – let us see if your theory is right,’ he said. Then, turning to Simon, he asked, ‘Do we have the endoscope with us?’

  ‘Yes – I think so...’

  Simon checked the boxes at his feet and found it safely swaddled in one of them. It was an elegant device, consisting of little more than an eyepiece attached to a metre-long piece of fibreoptic cabling that was capable of contorting itself in all directions.

  ‘Then I suggest we use it to take a peek first,’ said the professor. ‘Hand me the drill will you.’

  The drill was a simple hand-powered tool – so old it would itself have been worthy of a place in a museum. Nevertheless, it cut into the wall with little effort, tearing away chips of white plaster that fell to the floor like snowflakes.

  ‘Okay I think that’s it,’ said the professor cheerfully. Reversing the drill, he withdrew it slowly, wiggling it all the while in an attempt to widen the hole. ‘Now, if I can have the endoscope…’

  ‘So, what has he found?’ Juliet whispered, a little louder than she had intended, her voice echoing around the chamber.

  ‘Ahh, Miss Walsh, pleased you could join us,’ said the professor. Having accepted the endoscope from Simon’s outstretched hand, he’d fed it through the hole and was now looking down it thoughtfully.

  ‘So, are you going to keep us in suspense?’ she asked sweetly.

  ‘Patience my dear… I hope you are not acquiring any of Angus’s bad habits.’

  ‘Ick – so do I,’ said Juliet, mocking the Scottish accent – badly.

  The professor stood up. He looked disappointed. ‘Well, in answer to your question – no… I’m afraid it would appear we’ve found nothing but a good deal of broken rock. It looks like your luck might have finally run out my dear boy.’ He said, his disappointment palpable.

  ‘A cave-in maybe?’ Juliet wondered.

  ‘it’s possible…’ the professor admitted.

  ‘Aren’t we missing something here?’ Simon suggested.

  The professor looked tired. ‘Like what?’ he asked brusquely.

  ‘We’re right beneath the temple. If there had been any kind of cave in, the temple would have fallen right along with it – wouldn’t it? And I don’t remember seeing any evidence of a sinkhole. And why would the plaster have remained intact?’

  ‘You think maybe somebody might have been trying to hide something?’

  ‘It’s as good an explanation as any. Angus might be a bit of a klutz, but he’s smart with it. I’ve seen the work he’s been doing with these seismic sensors of his. They might be a little crude, but if he believes there’s more to this chamber than this, then I for one believe him…’ Simon added.

  ******

  Angus’s face had flushed with pride upon receiving Simon’s bold accolade, nevertheless, his victory had been short-lived, as the professor had inevitably turned the hard work of excavating a hole in the chamber’s back wall over to him. The matter had been discussed for all of about ten minutes in which Simon and the professor had debated the ethics of something that was tantamount to “desecration”, before conceding that its secrets would otherwise be lost forever should they be forced to abandon the site prematurely. And, since the task had promised to be both laborious and time-consuming in its nature, they had both been quick to delegate the work to “those younger and fitter than themselves” before leaving them with strict instructions that they were to be called immediately, should they discover anything.

  ‘Will you try to keep that damn light steady,’ Angus grumbled. ‘I can’t see a damn thing in here and my hands are already black and blue. Look…’ He tore off his right glove and brandished his injured hand in the air.

  ‘I can’t see what you’re complaining about, it looks alright to me,’ Oki observed.

  ‘Oh, it does – does it? Well how about we swap jobs for a while then?’

  ‘Not so fast! I’ve done my share already. Now it’s your turn. I can’t believe you’ve only been at it five minutes and you’re already whining like one of the girls.’

  ‘Like any one of the girls in particular?’ Juliet asked.

  The two of them had been so absorbed in their argument they had failed to notice her standing on the fringe of their illumination. Catherine had remained for all of about five minutes following the professor’s departure, before making an exit of her own. The delay had not in fact been a show of solidarity toward those friends who’d remained behind, but a pause while waiting for the rain to settle. Nevertheless, Juliet had stayed, having claimed that someone should remain to keep an eye on Angus.

  ‘Ahh – nothing,’ replied Oki sheepishly. ‘It’s just an expression – you know…’

  ‘Ahh, and such a pity really… Since I was about to ask if you needed a hand...’

  Angus jabbed Oki with his elbow. ‘Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!’

  ‘So what do you want me to do?’ Juliet asked.

  Angus smiled wickedly. ‘Well, you could hold the lamp while Oki here gives me a hand with the digging. You’ll no doubt be able to do a better job than he has.’

  ‘Hey – no fair. I’ve earned a break,’ Oki protested.

  ‘But you wouldn’t leave a “whining girl” with all the heavy work – would you?’ said Juliet meekly.

  ******

  Angus manhandled another large chunk of stone near the top of the wall of rubble, wiggling it back and forth as he freed it from the firmly packed soil that held it in place. Then, sagging beneath its weight, he
lowered it to the ground.

  They’d laboured for hours, Oki and Angus offering petulant grumblings in turn, while Juliet held the light for them.

  And then, finally…

  A clatter of falling rocks coming from somewhere beyond the wall, followed by the ringing retort of smashed pottery.

  ‘Ahh – shit!’ Angus exclaimed.

  ‘Oh dear… I don’t think you wanted to do that,’ Oki smirked.

  Angus glared back at him. ‘Gee – you reckon!’

  ‘Does that mean we’re through?’ asked Juliet, excitedly.

  Angus examined the hole left in the wall. ‘I think we must be. Shine the light up here will you, so I can take a look.’

  Juliet raised the lamp for a better view.

  ‘Oki – give me a hand making this hole a bit bigger, will you? I can’t see shit at the moment!’

  The surrounding rubble came away easily, although care was needed to prevent any more of it from tumbling destructively into the chamber beyond.

  And before long, the hole looked just about large enough for someone to squeeze through…

  ‘Okay then, give me a leg up, will you?’ Angus instructed.

  ‘No way man!’ Oki waved his hands dismissively. ‘Not this time.’

  ‘Hey – what are you worried about? I just want to take a look. We’re the ones who’ve done all the work… So isn’t it right that we get the first peek?’

  Oki eyed him suspiciously. ‘Are you sure you only plan to look?’

  Angus smiled at Juliet mischievously. ‘You want to take a look too – don’t you?’

  Juliet smiled back. ‘I think I’ve earned it…’

  ‘Okay – but just a look…’ Oki relented.

  With Oki’s help, Angus hoisted himself up until his body straddled the opening. Then, reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his trusty lighter.

  Metal rasped against metal…

  And after a few attempts, a tiny yellow flame danced into life at its tip, bobbing like a will-o-wisp in the still air.

  He dialled up the gas, expanding the flame until it had become a burning tongue that flickered hungrily at the merest whisper of a breeze.